Poulan Chainsaw

[Cmarti]

Originally Posted By: yeehaw1960

Oops, my soapbox broke. It must have come from Lowes!


Yes the box store equipment is not as well made and will not hold up to commercial use. But they share similar components. The carbs are made by the same people. If you have some skills with small equipment, box store equipment can be servicable.

One of the big differences is the set up & warranty. Two cycle eqipment often comes from the factory set lean, causing lean seize. A shop will set up and adjust equipment. The second point would be high end stuff has it's share of problems, but you have a dealer to make you feel better.

I have been repairing and donating to churches and those less fortunate, Poulan, AYP,MTD, Ryobi yard equipment that has been discarded in the township dumpsters.
It is often fuel lines and diaphrams on old or neglected equipment, or ring sieze on new equipment (set lean). Many cheap lawn tractors rust out, before mechanical failure. I have to admit, Poulan chainsaws are the most frustrating. I had one with an inconsistant hot start problem I never figured out.

If you buy some inexpensive carb tools and a couple manuals, small engines (2 & 4 cycle) are very easy to work on. It is not as glamourous as synchronizing carbs on a race bike, but it provides some sense of accomplishment.

 

[ArrestMeRedZ]

Thanks for the info. Where is a good source for repair manuals for, lets say, Echo equipment? I've done an internet search with not much luck.

 

[Cmarti]

Originally Posted By: ArrestMeRedZ
Thanks for the info. Where is a good source for repair manuals for, lets say, Echo equipment? I've done an internet search with not much luck.


I can't find my carb links, but search Walbro and Zama carbs home pages have instructions on how to clean and rebuild. (carb kits are $10-12) The net is full of info on how to tune.Clymer and Chilton make small engine repair manuals, and you may be able to get them at the library. You can go on ebay and buy Zama and Walbro carb tools for a couple bucks (D, DD, Pacman,etc...are the shape of the adustment screw heads) Here are some links for small engine parts with exploded diagrams that will help you get them back together in the right order:

http://www.cmengineparts.com/
http://www.cmengineparts.com/
http://www.buymtdonline.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Home_BuyMTDOnline_10101_19502_-1
http://www.jackssmallengines.com/outdoor_equipment.cfm

Here is a forum that specializes in small engine repair:

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/forumdisplay.php?f=109


p.s. that echo is a qulaity unit whether you buy it at a dealer or box store. Check the warranty, they may have a longer consumer warranty. Good luck

 

[Buffman]

is there a guide for carb adjustments on the poulan engines? I see that little chain saw of mine has three adjustment screws on it, but manual makes no mention of how to adjust or check. I know on my MTD weed eater, it stated some adjustment may have been necessary after so many hours of use.

I like top quality stuff, and buy when I can, but forunately, I've had good luck with my MTD weed eater, and my Poulan Pro Leaf Blower is working good, and so is my chain saw. I've got about 10hours almost on that chainsaw, and I only had starting problems when I didnt realize I had the stop button pushed and was flooding the engine because it wouldn't start.

 

[tdi-rick]

What carb is on the Poulan ? probably a Zama ?
Go to Zama and they have basic tuning data, but in a nutshell you have a high speed adjustment needle (HS), low speed adjustment needle (LS) and idle speed adjustment.

Start with a clean air filter, preferably a clean fuel filter and fresh mix.

Initially adjust the LS screw for best acceleration without any stumbling, so lean it down a touch (usually clockwise) and richen it up half a turn to get a feel for what it does counting the turns, then set for best acceleration.

When the LS is set, reset you idle speed adjustment so that the chain doesn't move (ie the clutch doesn't throw out or take up)
This is important for safety. The idle adjustment must always be set below the clutch throw out RPM.

Lastly, the HS screw needs to be set so that the saw is four stroking before hitting the wood, otherwise if it's set too lean you will have a lean siezure.

Usually there will be a maximum recommended RPM setting by the manufacturer, so you will need a high speed tacho and this is where you want the saw blubbering or breaking into a four stroke.
If the saw uses a rev limited coil then this makes tuning a little trickier. In this instance just tune the HS to four stroke just before the limiter cuts in. You don't really want it bouncing of the limiter as they generally drop the revs too much and this will affect your chain and cut speed.
The four stroke blubber should clean up when you hit timber.

Once the HS is set you may need to reset your LS screw.

Remember that a dirty air filter and wild variations in the weather or different seasons will affect the tune of a saw.

 

[cronk]

If your crank seals are bad, it will cause a vacuum leak and lean running symptoms like you describe.